1962 in the United Kingdom

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1962 in the United Kingdom:
Other years
1960 \| 1961 1962 \| 1963 \| 1964
Sport and Music
British and Irish current events
1962 English cricket season
Football England \| Scotland
1962 in British music

Events from the year 1962 in the United Kingdom.

1 Incumbents
2 Events
- 2.1 Unknown dates
3 Births
4 Deaths
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Incumbents

Monarch - HM Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister - Harold Macmillan, Conservative Party

[edit] Events

January 5 - The Beatles' first record , "My Bonnie" with Tony Sheridan, is released by Polydor.
February 4 - The Sunday Times becomes the first paper to print a colour supplement. ^[1]
February 23 - Twelve European countries form the European Space Agency.
13 March - A by-election is held in Blackpool North.
14 March - A by-election is held in Middlesbrough East.
15 March - The Orpington by-election of 1962, often described as the start of the Liberal Party revival in the UK, has Liberal Eric Lubbock upsetting the expected winner, Conservative candidate Peter Goldman for the seat in Orpington.
April 4 - James Hanratty is hanged in Bedford Gaol for the A6 murder; many believe he was innocent.
April 18 - The Commonwealth Immigration Bill in the United Kingdom removes free immigration from the citizens of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations.
May 25 - The new Coventry Cathedral is consecrated.
31 May - The Northern Ireland general election again produces a large majority for the Ulster Unionist Party, winning 34 out of 51 seats, though the Nationalist Party gains two seats for a total of 9.
July 1 - Another heavy smog develops over London.
July 12 - The Rolling Stones make their debut at London's Marquee Club, Number 165 Oxford Street, opening for Long John Baldry.
July 13 - In what the press dubs the "the Night of the Long Knives", United Kingdom Prime Minister Harold Macmillan dismisses one-third of his Cabinet.
July 31 - A crowd assaults the rally of the right-wing Union Movement of Sir Oswald Mosley in London.
August 6 - Jamaica becomes independent.
August 23 - John Lennon secretly marries Cynthia Powell.
September 21 - New Musical Express publishes a story about two 13-year-old schoolgirls, Sue and Mary, releasing a disc on Decca, and adds, "A Liverpool group, The Beatles, have recorded 'Love Me Do' for Parlophone, set for October 5 release."
October 31 - The UN General Assembly asks the United Kingdom to suspend enforcement of the new constitution in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), but the constitution comes into effect on November 1.
November 22 - A by-election is held in Chippenham East.
November 29 - An agreement is signed between Britain and France to develop the Concorde supersonic airliner.
December 9 - Tanganyika (now Tanzania) becomes a republic within the Commonwealth, with Julius Nyerere as president.
December 19 - Britain acknowledges the right of Nyasaland (now Malawi) to secede from the Central African Federation.
December 22 - "Big Freeze" in Britain: no frost-free nights until March 5, 1963.
December 30 - United Nations troops occupy the last rebel positions in Katanga; Moise Tshombe moves to South Rhodesia.

[edit] Unknown dates

Britons Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, along with American James D. Watson, win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material". ^[2]
British biochemists Max Perutz and John Cowdery Kendrew win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in investigating the structure of haem-containing proteins. ^[3]
A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess, was first published.
Advertising Standards Authority founded. ^[4]

[edit] Births

[edit] January - April

25 January - Emma Freud, English broadcaster and cultural commentator
February 7 - Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian
February 8 - Malorie Blackman, British author
February 12 - Jimmy Kirkwood, Irish-born field hockey player
February 21 - Vanessa Feltz, British television presenter
25 February - John Lanchester, British journalist and novelist
4 March - Simon Bisley, British comic book artist
6 March - Phill Jupitus, English comedian and broadcaster
12 March - Graham Charles Stuart, British Conservative politician and MP for Beverley and Holderness
March 17 - Clare Grogan, Scottish actress and singer
March 23 - Steve Redgrave, English rower
April 1 - Phillip Schofield, British TV presenter
April 9 - Imran Sherwani, British field hockey player
22 April - Ann McKechin, British Labour politician and MP for Glasgow North
April 23 - John Hannah, Scottish actor
April 26 - Colin Anderson, English footballer

[edit] May - August

May 2 - Jimmy White, British snooker player
6 May - Tom Brake, British Liberal Democrat politician and MP for Carshalton and Wallington
May 9 - David Gahan, English singer (Depeche Mode)
May 14 - Ian Astbury, British singer (The Cult)
May 17 - Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor and television presenter
June 8 - Nick Rhodes, English musician (Duran Duran)
June 29 - Amanda Donohoe, English actress
4 July - Neil Morrissey, English actor
August 1 - Robert Clift, British field hockey player
August 20 - Sophie Aldred, British actress and television presenter
August 30 - Alexander Litvinenko, British citizen, ex-KGB colonel and ex-FSB lieutenant-colonel (d. 2006)

[edit] September - December

September 5 - Peter Wingfield, Welsh actor
September 24 - Jack Dee, British comedian
September 24 - Ally McCoist, Scottish footballer and TV pundit and Question of Sport team captain
September 26 - Tracey Thorn, British singer
October 5 - Caron Keating, British TV presenter (d. 2004)
October 11 - Nicola Bryant, British actress
18 October - Naive John, British Stuckist artist and figurative painter
October 25 - Nick Hancock, British actor and television presenter
October 26 - Cary Elwes, British actor
November 3 - Marilyn, British musician
12 November - Mariella Frostrup, British journalist and television presenter
November 24 - John Kovalic, Anglo-American cartoonist
November 27 - Samantha Bond, British actress
3 December - Richard Bacon, British Conservative politician and MP for Norfolk South
December 17 - Paul Dobson, English footballer
December 22 - Ralph Fiennes, English actor
31 December - Heather McCartney (born Heather Louise See), stepdaughter of Sir Paul McCartney

[edit] Unknown date

Daljit Dhaliwal, British newsreader and television presenter
Hugh Dennis, British actor, comedian and writer (The Now Show)
Steve Punt, British actor, comedian and writer (The Now Show)
Boothby Graffoe, English comedian, singer, songwriter and playwright
Randy Lerner, American entrepreneur and owner of Aston Villa
John Micklethwait, British journalist and editor-in-chief of The Economist magazine
Saskia Reeves, British actress
Colin Salmon, British actor
Polly Samson, British journalist and writer
Alan Yau, British restaurateur (Wagamama food chain)